Picker check for looms



Nov. 25, 1941.

H. HOEBER Erm. 2,263,923 PICKER CHECK FCR LoOMs Filed Dec. '27, 1939Patented Nov. 25, 1941 unirnosrnr PM, 2,263,923A

` orgies PICKER CHECK FonLooMs Haroldl Hceber, South Dartmouth, andAlfred F.

Jacob, North Adams, Mass.,

assignors to Textile Research Company, Boston, Mass., a-. cor. porationof. Massachusetts Application December 27, 1939, Serial'No. 311,154

3.Claims. This. invention pertains to. loomsgand relates moreespecially. to improvedcheck means operative. to bring. the shuttletorest. in the shuttle One important. limiting, factor in the develop.-

ment. of' high-.speed` looms` is the difficulty of stopping the shuttleaccurately and without rcb'oundin the shuttle box.. While the idlepicker. stick and the binders or other shuttle-engaging elements ofV theshuttle box may oei depended upon'in low-speed looms to stop the shuttlewith reasonableA certainty and accuracy in, the box, they` are notadequate to perform this function acceptably when the speed of the loomis as great as is.noW frequently employed. The check strap whichdetermines the idle position of the picker is usually of organicmaterial and subjectV to variation in dimensions by reason ofmoisturechanges anddthus the idlev position of the picker may vary slightlyfromA time to time. Since atl very high speeds the momentum of thegreat, such slight variations in the idle position of the picker have amagnified eiect upon shuttle rebound, and` thus even though the pickercheck may be so carefully set at one time as to insure reasonableaccuracy in stopping the shuttle, this. setting may not be permanent,and under slightly different atmospheric conditions the shuttle may befound to rebound at the end of the pick. While spring-actuated checkshave heretofore been proposed, we are not aware of any which has provencommercially acceptable priorA to our present invention, in. particularbecause the spring which have previouslyl been employed have been soarranged and applied that they soon crystallize and break under theconditions of use. On the. other hand, the binder of the shuttle box; ifset close enough to preventrebound of the shuttle atV very highV speeds,may ofierl so much resistance that the shuttle will fail.' fully toenter the box, a matter which is' very serious, particularly at` thereplenishing side of an. automatic loom. However, if the shuttle doesactually stop at the proper point in the box, the power required' totight binder maybe excessive.

The present invention has for its principal objectj the provision of a.check device not appreciably aiected by moisture conditions Vand whichis operative gradually to slow as'it enters the box and to stop` it atan accurately predetermined position, but which does not consume poweras the shuttle leaves the box at the beginning ofthe next pick.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a check devicewhich may be applied to existing looms without substantial change inthelatter and which is. of simple, durable and inexpensive type andi whichis also capable of adjustment to fit varying conditions of use.

eject it from a box having a down the. shuttle 'l' shuttle is f Otherandjurther objects and Aadvantages of the invention will be pointed outin the following more detailed description and by reference to theaccompanying; drawing, wherein Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective Viewof the picker stick cfa loom with some of the adjunctive parts, andshowingV the; check device of, the present invention arrangedinoperative relation tothe picker stick; i Fig. 2 is afragmentary sideelevation, to larger scale, showing the same partsl as appear in Fig.. 1but viewed from the opposite side, the parts being inthe position whichthey occupy at the instant, at which the;A check device begins to act;and I Fig. 3 is a verticalY section substantially on the plane oftheline 3 -b3'of Fig. 2.

Referring. t0 th? dawing. .the numeral.' desg: nates the usuallay-rocker-shaft whichextends from side. to side of the. loom and towhich the lay swords or supporting rods are secured, and to the oppositeends of which are fixed the rocker stands 2 (but one of which is hereillustrated); Ther rocker stand has an elongate substantially nat uppersurface 3V on which rests the Ycurved lower surface 4 of the rocker 5,the latter comprising the elongate toe portion 6 havingtherein a narrowvertical slot 'I which receives a` posivtioning lug S projecting up fromthe surface 3 of; the rockerstand.

'Ihe rocker also comprises the upstanding socketportion 9 whichreceivesthe lower end of the; picker stick I0, the latter being securelyxed in the socket by means of a clamp I I. The picker I'ZVv is securedtothe upper end of the picker stickV IQ, and at an intermediate pointthe picker stick is embraced by the lug strap"I3, which is connected bythe 'nk I4 to the picker arm (not shown), by means of which the shuttlepicking motionkisimparted to the picker stick. Y

To the lower part ofthe picker stick tached one endA site. end of whichis wound about-a spring drum II` journaled on a` stub shaft I'I carriedbya bracket I8 which extends laterally and then downwardly from the mainpart of the rocker stand 2 of which it forms an Aintegral extension. Allof the above elements are of substantially usual and conventionalconstruction and need no further detailed description.

In accordance with. the present invention a isatsupport, here shown ascomprising a horizontal foot. portion I9 and an. upright portion 20, ismounted upon the laterally extending part of the bracket I8, the foot I9being secured to the bracket in any desired manner. This support may,for example, be integral with the bracket, but for convenience insupplying the improved check o device of'. the present invention. toexisting looms, it is preferredto make the support as of ai flexiblestrap I5, the oppo- `a separate part and to attach its foot portion I9to the bracket I8 by means of a bolt 2l (Fig. 1) or the like.

The upright portion of the support has an opening in which 22 on whichturns the hub 23a (Fig. 2) of a check lever. This check lever includes alaterally andV downwardly directed check arm 23 having a curved cam-likelower surface 24 (Fig. 3) which overlies the upper surfaceof the toe 6of the rocker 4. An open-coiled helical spring 25 is coiled about thestub shaft 22 at the rleft-hand side of the hub 23a, as viewed in Fig.2, and has one end 26 hooked about the arm 23 (which is preferablynotched to receive it) and has its other end xed to a blank nut orcollar 21 which engages the smooth end portion 28 of the stub shaft 22.Preferably the stub shaft 22 is shouldered at a predetermined distancefrom its lefthand end, 'as viewed in Fig.2, thereby to limit movementofk the nut and thus to prevent undue tensioning of the spring 25. Theblank nut 21 is provided with a set screw 21a by means'of which it maybe fixed to the part 28, and it may be turned, vfor varying the tensionof spring 25, by the use of a wrench.

The check lever also comprises the upper or abutment arm 29 with whichcooperates an adis fixed one end of a stub shaft justable stop screw 30passingthrough a threadedopening in an ear3l projecting from the upperpart of the upright 20.

, It is to be understood Athat an improved check device such as justdescribed will be installed at each end of the loom.

When the shuttle enters the shuttle box at either side of the loom itengages the usual binder and is thereby somewhat retarded. However, whenthe device of the present invention is used, .the binder may be arrangedto allow greater freedom of the shuttle in the box than is usual, sothat, in picking, the shuttle may be ejected from the box with lessexpenditure of power than is ordinarily necessary. In any event, if thebinder be properly adjusted,'the shuttle will continue-on into the boxuntil it engages the picker. The impact of the shuttle swings the pickerstick to the left, as Viewed in Fig. 2, causing the toe end 6 of therocker 4 to rise. By proper adjustment of the stop screw 30 the checkarm 23 may be initially set so as to be contacted by the toe 6 of therocker at any desired point during the left-hand swing of the pickerunder the impact of the shuttle, and by adjusting the spring 25 thedegree of resistance offered by the check arm 23 in opposing upwardswing ofy the rocker toe 6, after the latter contacts the arm 23, may bepredetermined. As the toe 6 of the rocker continues to rise aftercontact with the check arm 23, the spring 25 oifers a constantlyincreasing resistance to movement of the picker stick, and if the spring25 be properly adjusted, the shuttle will quickly be brought to rest atan accurately predetermined location in the shuttle box. 'Ihe springherein employed and as above described is of the so-called helical twisttype, functioning by winding or unwinding similarly to aspiral or clockspring. For opposing movement of a part such as the rocker toe whichtravels in a path of substantial extent, such a helical twist spring,with its coils initially widely spaced, vis far longer lived than anordinary compression or tension spring used under such circumstances.

. e check device herein vdescribed is not affected by moisture, it iseasily applied to existing looms, it is strong, durable and cheap tomake and apply, and is readily adjustable to different conditions ofuse.

While one desirable embodiment of the invenillustrated and describedtion has herein been by way of example, it is to be understood that theinvention is not necessarily limited to the precise details ofconstruction herein described, but is to be regarded as broadlyinclusive of any and all equivalent arrangements falling within thescope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a loom of the kind wherein the picker stick is carried by a rockerresting upon a rocker stand, and having means tending to swing thepicker stick oppositely to its shuttle picking movement, the rockerhaving a toe portion which rises as the picker rocks in response toimpact of the shuttle, in combination a removable picker check devicemounted on the rocker stand and comprising a check lever having adownwardly inclined cam arm which lies in the path of and which isengageable by the toe of the rocker as the latter rises, an open-coiledhelical-twist spring normally urging said check arm toward the toe ofthe rocker, and stop means operative to determine the normal position ofthe check arm.

2. In a loom of the kind wherein the picker stick is carried by a rockerresting upon a rocker stand, and having means tending to swing thepicker. stick oppositely to its shuttle picking movement, the rockerhaving a toe portion which rises as the picker rocks in response toimpact of the shuttle, in combination a support removably secured to therocker stand, a stub shaft projecting from the support, a check levermounted on the stub shaft, said lever having an arm which extendstransversely of the path of and which is engageable by the toe of therocker as the latter rises, a spring normally urging said check armtoward the rocker toe, means for adjusting the tension of the spring, anabutment element xed to the check lever, and an adjustable stopengageable with said abutment for predetermining the normal position ofthe .check lever arm relative to the toe of the rocker.

3. In a loom of the kind having a picker stick fixed at its lower partto a rocker which rests upon a rocker stand, the rocker having a toeportion which rises when the picker stick swings in response to shuttleimpact, in combination a support fixed to the rocker stand, the supportcomprising an upright portion having fixed thereto a stub shaft, a checkarm having a hub which turns on said shaft, the check arm being disposedin the path of and engageable by the toe of the rocker as the latterrises, an opencoiled spring embracing the stub shaft and having one endconnected to the check arm and its opposite end secured to a part whichis rotatably mounted on the stub shaft, and means for fixing saidrotatable part in adjusted position on the shaft, the check lever alsohaving an abutment arm, and an adjustable stop screw having threadedengagement with a part of said support and having its end disposed forengagement with the abutment arm, thereby adjustably to determine thenormal spacing of the check arm from the toe of the rocker when thepicker occupies its normal idle position.

HAROLD I-IOEBER; ALFRED F. JACOB.

